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EGYPT III – LUXOR & THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS – PART I

ANTONIA HOOGEWERF*

A TRAVELLER’S JOURNAL

* The writer is British born and bred but has spent much of heradult life in France, the Loire Valley, the Deep South. She hasnow been living in Paris since 1999. Her passion is travelling,exploring the world and its people and experiencing their variousand diverse cultures. For the last 17 years she has spent the winterstravelling widely in India, a country she loves, always coming backto rest in Kolkata. These articles are random extracts from the travelnotebooks she wrote to record her experiences around the world.The author may be contacted at : antoniahoogewerf@hotmail.com

During the 19th century there was much interest inEgypt and Antiquity which attracted eminentArchaeologists from all over Europe, many of

whom were responsible for great work in excavating theTemples and Tombs. Luxor, known in former times asThebes, and the Valley of the Kings have always been afocal point for much of this excavation and with goodreason.

The first time I visit Luxor I arrive by ferryboat,sailing downriver from Aswan, three days on board,stopping off at various sites on the way. I make friendswith Theo, a Dutchman, who is a charming companion andproves most useful in warding off the ever persistentattentions of the staff on board!

The ship moors up one night alongside Kom Omboand in the morning we visit the Temple dedicated to bothSobek, the Crocodile God and Horus, the Falcon-headedOne. The dual dedication is unique in Egypt and the exactlysymmetrical Temple is split in half lengthways, the left sidedevoted to Horus and the right to Sobek. It is beautifullysituated on the riverside surrounded by sugar cane fieldsand greenery, one of the prettiest along the Nile and wasbuilt during the Ptolemaic Kingdom under Hellenistic Rulewithin Ancient Egypt. There are two Pylons, two altars,and two Hypostyle halls. In one chamber there areintriguing engravings of surgical instruments on the walls– scalpels, forceps and other medical tools dating back to150 BC. The wall paintings are full of colour and tell

dramatic stories of the Gods. The Crocodile was a sacredand revered animal, and mummified bodies of crocodileshave been found at the site. Strangely, Kom Ombo is alsoa Roman Catholic Bishopric, along with Dendara andseveral other cities along the Nile, and the titles hold tothis day – the future Pope John Paul II was Titular Bishopfor five years until 1963.

A Pylon in Egyptian architecture is an imposinggateway consisting of two huge flat tapering towers eachtopped with a cornice on either side of the entrance whichhas a covered roof about half the height of the towers,said to symbolize the setting sun between two great hills.A Hypostyle Hall is made up of rows of columns or pillarsoften with a roof resting on them.

Later we sail on to Edfu and moor up near the Templeof Horus, the vengeful son of Isis and Osiris, who withhis Falcon head is one of Egypt’s best loved Gods. Therehas been a temple to him on this site since Antiquity(around 3000 BC), though this one was built duringPtolemaic times and is therefore much more recent (about237BC). It was built as a copy of the architecture of morethan a thousand years earlier, thus providing archaeologistswith a fine and extremely well preserved example fromwhich to study and learn more of the culture and life ofthe early Egyptians.

And so we come to Luxor. Arriving by riverboat Iam struck by the contrast of the magnificent El LuxorTemple and Karnak on the East Bank of the Nile, and thedry dusty sands of the vast necropolis of the Valleys ofthe Dead, stretching away into the distance on the WestBank. I have visited Luxor many times over the past twentyyears and never cease to wonder at its marvels. It is theheart of Egyptian Antiquity, there are so many outstandingsites here, the glorious Karnak complex, Luxor Temple,

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the Valley of the Kings, the unique Memorial Temple ofHatshepsut, and so much more.

The Winter Palace is a grand old hotel where I havestayed many times. It has all the charm of a Colonial hotelbuilt in the early twentieth century for the flocks of curiousvisitors from Europe. Alongside the serious archaeologistscame many amateurs, some of whom pillaged the sitestaking priceless artefacts back to their own countries.Austria today has a large collection, as has Belgium,Britain, Germany, France and Italy.

I like the beautiful stately old rooms, a little fusty,endless carpeted corridors, high ceilings and chandeliers,grand windows with balconies opening onto regal gardens.The first time I come up the grand staircase to the mainLobby to reserve a room, the dear little man behind thedesk asks me if I am dressed casual or smart? An oddquestion! Not being able to see over the counter he comesround to inspect me, wearing a tailcoat sweeping the floorand vastly too large for him. After looking me up and downhe says with a big grin:

“Oh yes, madam, more than smart!” and after thatwe are the best of friends!

The hotel has had many illustrious visitors, fromRoyalty to eminent scientists and writers. Lord Carnavon,the patron and sponsor of British Archaeologist HowardCarter stayed many times and was here in 1922 whenCarter made his momentous discovery of the untouchedTomb of Tutankhamun, the Boy King. Not having Internetor mobile phones, Lord Carnavon used the Hotel notice

board to post the latest updates on howthe Archaeological dig was progressing,and everybody would rush in every dayto see them. Exciting times! In 1937Agatha Christie wrote her famous mystery“Death on the Nile” while staying here,and many years later the Hotel was thesetting for the film of the novel. KingFarouk was given State apartments to stayin whenever he wanted, until his exile in1952, and doubtless Nasser after him.

I go out that first afternoon to wanderthe great complex of Karnak, taking ashort caleche ride to the entrance. It reallyis the crème de la crème of the AncientWorld, proclaiming the glory of thePharaohs at the height of their power andtheir devotion to Amun, the patron god ofThebes, and it is filled with shrines,sanctuaries, temples and inner temples,

halls and pylons. I roam alone amongst the ancient stones,I don’t want a guide yet – just to observe and absorb. Agrand avenue lined with statues of Ram-headed Sphinxeson both sides leads the way through the Pylon to the firstHypostyle hall.

This mighty colonnaded Hypostyle Hall has 134columns leading to many chambers and at the heart of thecomplex is the splendid Temple of Amun-Ra. Constructionwas begun before the reign of Rameses II, the great builderthough he was responsible for the main buildings and itwas added to over the next 2000 years by each followingdynasty, during Ptolemaic, Hellenistic, Muslim andChristian periods. There are huge Colossi of Amun andhis wife Mut with their son Khonsu, and two massiveObelisks 29 metres high, one given by Queen Hatshepsut.I circle the Column of the Scarab for luck in love!

Then I walk back to the main Temple of Luxor, astone’s throw from the hotel. An Avenue of Sphinxesstretches from Karnak to Luxor Temple, and over twentyyears I have witnessed the gradual unearthing of thisextraordinary line of statues right into the heart of the city.Houses shops and churches have been demolished duringthe excavation but it will be a truly magnificent sight, overtwo kilometres long, when completed. The giant Pylon ofthe Temple is 24 metres high, leading to many halls andsanctuaries as at Karnak. Alexander the Great built a templewithin the Temple in 332BC and declared himself Pharaohof Egypt. The Romans also built a small Christian churchinside. When the city declined the Temple became coveredin sand and debris, and the Muslims arriving in 1400AD

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built a Mosque on top. Now that the Temple has beenuncovered, the Mosque, which has been restored, findsitself on higher ground than the rest of the Temple!

One day Theo and I take the river cruise to Dendara,another Temple complex. We have breakfast at 6am thenboard the boat for the 60 kilometre ride downstream. It isa beautiful sunny morning, the sun rising behind LuxorTemple as we leave, cool but with a warm breeze. Thescenery is agricultural with the dry desert mountains risingsharply up behind Palm trees and thick vegetation alongthe banks. Nothing seems to have changed since the timeof the Pharaohs. We get to Qena at 11am and transfer to abus for a short ride over the Nile to Dendara which isbuilt right up against the Desert Belt.

Surrounded by a huge thick mud-brick wall (no rainhere at all – ever) several metres wide, it is a massiveGreco-Roman Temple, around 2000 years old. Cleopatra,the last Queen of Egypt, is depicted here with her son byJulius Caesar, and her love affair with Marc Antonyrecorded for all time. The Temple is dedicated to Hathor,the Goddess of Love, Motherhood and Fertility and she isdepicted wearing cow’s ears, the role of mother so oftenembodied in the image of a cow. The signs of the Zodiacare painted on the ceiling in a Lunar calendar circle. It isintriguing that the Zodiac we know today found its wayhere having been invented in Babylon around 1000BC, somany cultures merging. The year is divided into 36 weeksof 10 days each and the remaining 5 or 6 days were spentin Feasting! A novel idea for metric system lovers. And

three seasons, Flood, Planting and Harvest, makes perfectsense for a largely agricultural people. The Ankh lookslike a key but is not – it is the symbol of Life, the Knot inthe umbilical cord. There is a large Birthing House, asoften in Temples, but this was a special one to be born in,with a statue of the Goddess Hathor in a sitting positionwhich is how babies were delivered.

It is very hot now and good to get back on board forlunch. There is great excitement as one of the sailors divesoverboard and nets a big fish, a good 3 feet long and weall hang over the side with the rest of the crew to applaudand cheer loudly!

In my next piece about Luxor we travel to the WestBank and the Valleys of the Dead, a barren land so differentto the sophisticated and cultivated East Bank. But beforethat, let me leave my readers with one more image of thesplendours of Karnak.

One evening I go to the Son et Lumiere at Karnakwhich is stunning, a superb production with great musicand using the gravelly voice of Omar Sharif – of course!– and John Hurt and Emma Thompson. Coloured lightsflicker and illuminate the Temple as the stories unfold,narrated in rich resounding voices. A spectacular show,bringing to life and light the history that has marchedthrough the ages amongst these hallowed stones.

Strolling slowly back through the majestic columns,silent witnesses to the glory of an incredible Kingdom, Ican quite happily imagine myself as a noble and graciousQueen of Egypt!